The Northern Pintail is a widely occurring duck that breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator. Unusual for a bird with such a large range, it has no geographical subspecies if the possibly con-specific Eaton's Pintail is considered to be a separate species. It is a fairly large duck, with a long pointed tail that gives rise to the species' English and scientific names. The Northern Pintail's many names describe the male's two long black tail feathers, which in flight look like a single pin or twig. Hens make a coarse quack and the drakes a flute-like whistle. The Northern Pintail is a bird of open wetlands which nests on the ground, often some distance from water. It feeds by dabbling for plant food and adds small invertebrates to its diet during the nesting season. When not breeding, it is highly gregarious, forming large mixed flocks with other species of duck.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Pintail
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1841:
The Church of Scotland established Queen's College in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_University
1859:
Hoping to start an armed slave revolt, American abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the Harpers Ferry Armory in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown%27s_raid_on_Harpers_Ferry
1940:
World War II: Nazi Governor-General Hans Frank established the Warsaw Ghetto, the largest Jewish ghetto in occupied Poland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Ghetto
1978:
Karol Józef Wojtyła, a cardinal from Kraków, Poland, became Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope since the 16th century and the first ever from a Slavic country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II
1996:
At least 83 people were killed and more than 140 injured when an excessive number of fans attempted to squeeze into Guatemala City's Estadio Mateo Flores to see the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification match between Guatemala and Costa Rica. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estadio_Mateo_Flores
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
sparge: 1. To sprinkle or spray 2. To introduce bubbles into a liquid. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sparge
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The drop of rain maketh a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling. --Hugh Latimer https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hugh_Latimer